Believe it or not, we’re coming up on the 35th anniversary of the original Star Wars movie release in 1977 (the actual date is 25 May, in case you want to plan a party or something.) The Star Wars movies — regardless of what critics might think of their artistic merits — have had an enormous impact on popular culture in general, and on toys and children’s products in particular. Star Wars imagery and snippets of dialogue are licensed to hundreds if not thousands of secondary manufacturers, who each year turn out everything from forks to shower curtains, cake toppers to wall decals, to satisfy the seemingly insatiable appetite of fans.

So, in honour of the upcoming anniversary, here are a few examples of art and craft items inspired by the Star Wars universe and sold by artists on etsy.com.

Should you by any chance have a Star Wars™ fan at home, or perhaps know a Star Wars-obsessed co-worker who has recently been blessed with an addition to his or her family, perhaps the new little Jedi’s parent would like to make the Star Wars Inspired Quiet Book using the PDF pattern from artist Juliebell. Once supplied with their very own Star Wars Inspired Quiet Book, babies can have fun:

♥Helping Leia untie her chain.♥Un-zipping the Dagobah forrest to see Yoda.♥un-velcro-ing the death star to help your star wars finger puppet friends.♥Helping Luke learn to use his sword.♥Snapping C3P0 back in place.♥Destroying enemy ships♥Trying on Luke’s robot hand

Mm-hmmm.

For those who prefer action toys, how about some Knitted Lightsabers from designer carbonscoring? You can knit one or more of four different models, enough to satisfy every Star Wars-loving recipient on your Christmas list! As the listing says,

They’re the perfect size for babies and little kids or for cat or dog toys (especially if you add in some catnip or a bell as you stuff them). Knit one or several for a Star Wars fan you know! Knit one to satisfy your own geeky crafty cravings ! Knit one for a cat who happens to be a fan of both Star Wars and hand knits! Knit all four for the cutest, geekiest baby mobile that ever hung over a geek baby’s cradle … May the knit be with you.

May the knit be with you too, carbonscoring.

It’s not surprising that the character of Darth Vader looms large in the Star Wars fan universe. His charisma looms much larger in the films than does that of the Emperor, and a Jedi knight fallen from grace he seems an altogether scarier character. For fans of the little crocheted creatures known to the Japanese as amigurumi, here’s Darth Vader. (Amigurumi are a whole phenomenon in themselves. Watch for an upcoming blog post!)

And just to prove that creativity is alive and well in the toy business, here’s a Star Wars mash-up piece that combines cute with extra-creepy in a very disturbing way. Artists Brad and Stacey Rader from BattleBabiesToyArt have fused bits of action figures and baby dolls together to form the stuff of pop-culture nightmares.

Yeah. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If this piece makes your chimes ring, it can be yours from the seller for US$28.00 (and I recommend therapy, and lots of it. Right now.)

And so, until next time:

“You don’t need to see his identification … These aren’t the droids you’re looking for … He can go about his business … Move along.”*

*Oh, come on — you knew it was Obi-Wan working that old Jedi magic all along. You didn’t need the footnote. Did you?